Rafael Carvalho Explained

Rafael Carvalho
Other Names:The Blessed
Birth Name:Rafael Carvalho de Souza
Birth Date:1986 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Weight:185lb
Weight Class:Middleweight (2011–2019)
Light Heavyweight (2019–present)[1]
Reach In:78
Reach Footnote:[2]
Fighting Out Of:Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Team:American Top Team (2019–present)[3]
Evolução Thai (formerly)
Madison Team
Siam Team MMA College
Noguchi Team
LA Sports
Rank:Brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Years Active:2011–present
Mma Kowin:12
Mma Decwin:5
Mma Koloss:3
Mma Subloss:2
Mma Decloss:3
Sherdog:89589

Rafael Carvalho de Souza[2] (born 27 July 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As of December 2017, Carvalho is tied with Alexander Shlemenko for most title defenses in the division's history. He also won the Smash Fight middleweight championship in 2013.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

First loss and rebound

Carvalho made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Julio Cesar Araujo Fernandes on 17 December 2011 at Samurai FC 6. Carvalho lost the fight via submission in the first round. Following the loss, Carvalho went on a nine-fight unbeaten streak that included a unanimous decision win over Gustavo Machado that won him the Smash Fight middleweight championship, before signing with Bellator MMA.[5]

Bellator MMA

Road to Bellator middleweight title

Carvalho was expected to make his promotional debut against fellow newcomer Anthony Ruiz on 19 September 2014 at Bellator 125.[6] However, after an injury to Brett Cooper, Carvalho stepped up and faced Brian Rogers in the co-main event.[7] Carvalho won the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the first round.[8]

Carvalho faced kickboxing veteran Joe Schilling on 10 April 2015 at Bellator 136. He won the fight by split decision.[9]

Bellator middleweight champion

Carvalho faced Brandon Halsey in the main event at Bellator 144 for the vacant Bellator Middleweight Championship on 23 October 2015. Carvalho stopped Halsey via a body kick in the second round in an upset. Halsey dominated the first round on the ground; almost finishing Carvalho with an arm-triangle choke. With the comeback victory, Carvalho became the first fighter to defeat Halsey.[10]

Carvalho made his first defense of his title against Melvin Manhoef on 20 May 2016 at Bellator 155. He won via a controversial split decision to retain the Bellator Middleweight Championship. Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen; likewise 5 of 5 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Manhoef.[11]

An immediate rematch with Manhoef was scheduled to take place at Bellator 168, on 10 December 2016.[12] However, Carvalho pulled out of the fight due to injury.[13] The rematch eventually took place on 8 April 2017 at Bellator 176. Carvalho won the bout via knockout due to a head kick in the fourth round.[14] Following the event, Carvalho was fined $5,000 by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) for unsportsmanlike conduct, due to jumping out the cage in his post-fight celebration.[15]

In a May 2017 interview with MMAfighting.com, Carvalho expressed interest in a bout with newly signed welterweight Rory MacDonald after the two exchanged words on Twitter. In addition, he hoped to make his next title defense in July or August.[16]

In his third title defense, Carvalho faced Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190 on 9 December 2017.[17] [18] He won the fight via knockout in the first round. As a result, Carvalho tied the record for most title defenses, held by Alexander Shlemenko, in the divisions' history (three).[4]

In his fourth title defense, Carvalho faced Gegard Mousasi on 25 May 2018 at Bellator 200 in London.[19] This was the last fight on his contract.[20] He lost the fight via technical knock out in round one.[21]

Return to contender status

On 12 September, it was announced that Carvalho had re-signed with the Bellator MMA promotion. It was also announced that Carvalho is expected to face promotional newcomer and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida on 15 December at Bellator 213.[22] On weigh-in day, Carvalho missed weight, weighing in at 186.5 pounds, over the maximum non-title limit of 186.0 pounds. The bout proceeded at Catchweight and Carvalho was fined 20% of his purse. Carvalho was defeated by split decision.[23]

Carvalho faced Chidi Njokuani at Bellator 224 in a 190 lb Catchweight bout on 12 July 2019.[24] He won the fight by unanimous decision. After the fight with Njokuani, Carvalho announced that he will be moving up to the light heavyweight division.

Move up to light heavyweight

In his light heavyweight debut, Carvalho faced Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 230 on 13 October 2019. After being largely dominated in the fight, Carvalho lost via submission late in the second round.[25]

Carvalho faced Alex Polizzi at Bellator 245 on 11 September 2020.[26] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA announced on 27 October 2020, that Carvalho had been released from the promotion.[27]

After the release from Bellator, Carvalho was set to headline LFA 107 against Sharaf Davlatmurodov on 14 May 2021.[28] However, the bout was called off as Carvalho stepped in as a replacement for Costello van Steenis to face Lorenz Larkin on 6 days notice at Bellator 258 on 7 May 2021. The promotion announced that this bout would be a one off fight deal.[29] Carvalho lost the bout via split decision.[30]

Replacing Tony Johnson, Carvalho faced Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov on April 15, 2022 at Bellator 277.[31] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[32]

Post Bellator

In his first bout after leaving Bellator, Carvalho faced Marcelo Alfaya on November 15, 2023 at Centurion FC 16, winning the bout and the title via unanimous decision.[33]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

|-|Loss|align=center|17–8|Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz|KO (punches)|Iowa Fight Series 2||align=center|4|align=center|0:47|Marshalltown, Iowa, United States||-|Win|align=center|17–7|Marcelo Alfaya|Decision (unanimous)|Centurion FC 16||align=center|5|align=center|5:00|Attard, Malta||-|Loss|align=center|16–7|Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov|TKO (elbows and punches)|Bellator 277||align=center|2|align=center|4:04|San Jose, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|16–6|Lorenz Larkin|Decision (split)|Bellator 258||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-|Loss|align=center|16–5|Alex Polizzi |Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 245||align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-| Loss| align=center|16–4| Vadim Nemkov| Submission (rear-naked choke)| Bellator 230| | align=center| 2| align=center| 3:56| Milan, Italy| |-|Win|align=center|16–3|Chidi Njokuani|Decision (unanimous) |Bellator 224||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–3|Lyoto Machida|Decision (split)|Bellator 213||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Honolulu, Hawaii, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–2|Gegard Mousasi|TKO (punches)|Bellator 200||align=center|1|align=center|3:35|London, England||-| Win| align=center| 15–1| Alessio Sakara| KO (elbow)| Bellator 190| | align=center|1| align=center|0:44| Florence, Italy| |-| Win| align=center| 14–1| Melvin Manhoef| KO (head kick)| Bellator 176| | align=center| 4| align=center| 3:15| Torino, Italy| |-| Win| align=center| 13–1| Melvin Manhoef| Decision (split)| Bellator 155| | align=center| 5| align=center| 5:00| Boise, Idaho, United States| |-|Win|align=center|12–1 |Brandon Halsey|KO (body kick)|Bellator 144||align=center|2|align=center|1:42|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-|Win|align=center|11–1|Joe Schilling|Decision (split)|Bellator 136||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Irvine, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|10–1|Brian Rogers|TKO (punches)|Bellator 125||align=center|1|align=center|3:06|Fresno, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|9–1|Mauri Roque|TKO (knee to the body and punches)|Talent MMA Circuit 9: Sao Jose dos Pinhais 2014||align=center|1|align=center|2:47|São José dos Pinhais, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|8–1|Sergio Souza|TKO (knee to the body and punches)|Iron Fight Combat 4||align=center|3|align=center|2:15|São José dos Pinhais, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|7–1|Gustavo Machado|Decision (unanimous)|Smash Fight 2||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|6–1|Fernando Scherek|TKO (punches)|Adventure Fighters Tournament 4||align=center|1|align=center|0:39|Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|5–1|Kaue Dudus|TKO (punches)|Samurai FC 9: Water vs. Fire||align=center|2|align=center|3:48|Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|4–1|Eduardo Gimenez|TKO (punches)|Empire Promotions: Empire FC||align=center|1|align=center|0:55|Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|3–1|Luiz Cado Simon|TKO (punches)|Forca Jovem Parana: Nocaute ao Crack 2||align=center|3|align=center|N/A|Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|2–1|Glauber Valadares|TKO (punches)|Predador FC 21||align=center|1|align=center|2:52|Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil||-|Win|align=center|1–1|Flavio Rodrigo Magon|TKO (punches)|Adrenaline Fight 4||align=center|2|align=center|2:42|Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil ||-|Loss|align=center|0–1|Julio Cesar Araujo Fernandes|Submission (anaconda choke) |Samurai FC 6||align=center|1|align=center|N/A|Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil|

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rafael Carvalho done fighting at middleweight, wants to 'test' himself at light heavyweight . Guilherme Cruz . mmafighting.com . 26 July 2019.
  2. Web site: Rafael Carvalho – MMA Fighter Page – Tapology . tapology.com . 2015-04-05.
  3. Web site: Former champion Rafael Carvalho no longer obsessed with Bellator belt . 12 July 2019 . Guilherme Cruz . mmafighting.com.
  4. Web site: Bellator 190 post-event facts: Rafael Carvalho Bellator's most successful champ – by a long shot . mmajunkie.com . Mike Bohn . 10 December 2017.
  5. Web site: Brett Cooper out, Brian Rogers gets third opponent: Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 125 . mmajunkie.com . Staff . 9 September 2014.
  6. Web site: Bellator 125 lineup complete with eight fights on preliminary card . mmajunkie.com . Staff . 29 August 2014.
  7. Web site: Brett Cooper suffers foot injury; Brian Rogers to fight Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 125 . sherdog.com . C.J. Tuttle . 9 September 2014.
  8. Web site: Bellator 125 results: Rafael Carvalho TKOs Brian Rogers in Round 1 . fansided.com . Josh Sanchez . 19 September 2014.
  9. Web site: Will Brooks Outpoints Dave Jansen, Retains Lightweight Title in Bellator 136 Headliner . sherdog.com . Tristen Critchfield . 10 April 2015.
  10. Web site: Bellator 144 results: Rafael Carvalho kick stuns Brandon Halsey to win 185 title . mmajunkie.com . Matt Erickson . 23 October 2015.
  11. News: Rafael Carvalho def. Melvin Manhoef . MMA Decisions . 2016-05-21.
  12. Web site: Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef title rematch headlines Bellator 168 in Italy . mmajunkie.com . Staff . 7 October 2016.
  13. Web site: Injury knocks champ Rafael Carvalho from Bellator 168 main event vs. Melvin Manhoef . mmajunkie.com . Mike Bohn . 3 December 2016.
  14. Web site: Bellator 176 results: Champ Rafael Carvalho flattens Melvin Manhoef with big head kick . mmajunkie.com . Dann Stupp . 8 April 2017.
  15. Web site: Rafael Carvalho fined for jumping out of cage after Bellator win over Melvin Manhoef . mmafighting.com . Guilherme Cruz . 10 April 2017.
  16. Web site: Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho issues warning to Rory MacDonald . mmafighting.com . Guilherme Cruz . 30 May 2017.
  17. Web site: Rafael Carvalho Set to Defend Bellator Middleweight Strap in Italy . mma-today.com . Nolan King . 7 June 2017 . 7 June 2017 . 11 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171111201537/https://mma-today.com/rafael-carvalho-set-defend-bellator-middleweight-strap-italy . dead .
  18. Web site: Bellator champ Rafael Carvalho meets Alessio Sakara in Italy, hopes for Gegard Mousasi showdown in early 2018 . mmafighting.com . Guilherme Cruz . 12 July 2017.
  19. Web site: Carvalho-Mousasi Title Bout, Page-Rickels Booked for Bellator 200 in London . Sherdog.com . Sherdog . 2018-02-27.
  20. Web site: Carvalho May Leave After Bellator 200 . fightsports.tv . 14 April 2018.
  21. News: Mousasi takes Bellator title with 1st-round TKO . ESPN.com . 2018-05-26.
  22. Web site: Lyoto Machida Debuts Against Former Champion Rafael Carvalho at Bellator Hawaii . mmafighting.com. 12 September 2018 .
  23. Web site: Bellator 213 Results: Macfarlane vs Létourneau . mmafighting.com . 15 December 2018.
  24. Web site: Rafael Carvalho vs. Chidi Njokuani targeted for Bellator 224 . Guilherme Cruz . mmafighting.com . 27 May 2019.
  25. Web site: Nemkov Submits Carvalho at Bellator 230; Manhoef Crushes Bahati at Bellator 'Milan' . Tudor Leonte . sherdog.com . 12 October 2019.
  26. Web site: Bellator 245 fills out, including Ed Ruth, Rafael Carvalho, Tyrell Fortune . 21 August 2020 . mmajunkie.com.
  27. Web site: Former two-division champion Joe Warren, Ricky Bandejas, Roy Nelson among slew of Bellator fighters no longer under contract . Damon Martin, Mike Heck . 27 October 2020 . MMAFighting.com . 27 October 2020.
  28. Web site: Rafael Carvalho off LFA 107 on May 14 to make Bellator return; LFA 108 set for following week . 1 May 2021 . MMAjunkie.com.
  29. Web site: 2021-05-01 . Rafael Carvalho steps in on six days' notice to fight Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 258 . 2021-05-01 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  30. Web site: Sherdog.com . Bellator 258 'Archuleta vs. Pettis' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring . 2021-05-08 . Sherdog.
  31. Web site: Rafael Carvalho aceita luta com uma semana de antecedência no Bellator 277 . 2022-04-07 . www.uol.com.br . pt-br.
  32. Web site: Sherdog.com . Bellator 277 'McKee vs. Freire 2' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring . 2022-04-16 . Sherdog . en.
  33. Web site: Rafael Carvalho Seizes Centurion FC's First Light Heavyweight Title in a Grueling Clash . 2023-11-27 . centurionfc.tv . en.
  34. Web site: MMAjunkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for October is a ridiculous shot to the gut . 31 October 2015 .